The Scoop on Our Hometown

Worth the Drive

June

18

If you’re looking to go wild this summer but don’t feel like making the hours-long drive to a zoo, check out Texas Alligator Ranch in Spearman. Just 30 miles southwest of Perryton, it’s the only alligator farm in the panhandle.

Dean Coates, a former aircraft mechanic, started the farm in November of 2001. Now, it’s home to approximately dozens of gators of all sizes, ranging from hatchlings to mature 400-pounders.

Visitors have the chance for an up-close view of younger alligators inside the facility and large, decades-old gators outdoors. There’s also a souvenir shop onsite.